Thunderbirds Charities has awarded a $22,000 grant to MentorKids USA in support of their innovative youth leadership program, iLEAD My Generation.
“We are grateful to Thunderbirds Charities for their investment in MentorKids over the years, and are tremendously thankful for this recent grant,” said Aaron Parrott, Executive Director of MentorKids. “Through this award, Thunderbird Charities will help fund the employment of high school students participating in our structured four-year high-school leadership program, iLEAD (which stands for “Leadership, Enrichment, Academics and Discovery”). In their first two years of the program, students gain invaluable work skills and experience as part-time employees of MentorKids, working with younger students in our after-school and summer programs.”
The mission of MentorKids is to equip and empower youth to be transformative leaders in their lives, their families, and their communities. This is accomplished through free year-round programming for K-12 students in their four Promise Neighborhoods in South Phoenix, North Phoenix (Palomino Community), South Scottsdale (Paiute Community), and Maryvale.
“The Promise Neighborhood model lays the groundwork for MentorKids to make long-term investments in our kids, their families, and their communities,” said Parrott. “iLEADers are the embodiment of our mission. They use the skills learned at MentorKids to mentor, coach, encourage, and lead the younger kids in the program, and serve their families and community. We are Building Leaders Who Build Leaders. They are literally ‘mission accomplishments’ lived out on a daily basis in our Promise Neighborhoods.”
This grant is part of the Fall 2023 cycle. View a list of all Recent Grantees.